Out of the Blue
by The Scarlet Sky
Summary: He's a traveler, but she's never left home. She's a scholar, but books bore him. Yet after a chance visit, Kai and Mary realize that maybe there could be more between them than they'd thought. Kai x Mary fluff cliche. Complete fiveshot, MFoMT.
1. Chapter 1: The Visitor

**Note: **Fluff-overload! XD This is an entry in my forum's Writing Game for **Kuruk**'s challenge: Kai x Mary. Dude, I'm psyched to be writing all this unhealthily sweet pairing goodness. Kai x Mary is now heavily competing with Gray x Mary in my book, and _that_ is saying something. (I blame you, Jean Cooper. Glaaaare.)

Disclaimer: I don't own it, but I wish I did.

Out of the Blue 

Part One: The Visitor

On the fifth day of Summer, at approximately three thirty-seven in the afternoon, Kai broke up with Popuri. It hadn't been an easy decision, of course—and certainly not a well-received one with regards to the spurned party—but Kai hadn't regretted it. "The way I feel about you has no bearing on this," he had explained. "I'll always care about you, Poppy. But it would be silly of us to pretend that I can whisk you away from your mother so soon, and you know I can't stay here in Mineral Town. You deserve someone willing to do that for you. We've just gotta move on, baby."

She'd cried for a bit, and Kai had held her close as she shouted at him, beat her little fists into his shoulders, and buried her head of cotton-candy hair into his chest. "I don't want you to go," she'd begged. "I don't want you to leave me."

And God, that sweet young voice of hers made him not want to either, and the tears staining his shirt certainly didn't do much to help matters. "Poppy, you know it's not gonna work out," he murmured, handing her his bandana to dab her eyes. "It was never going to." Slowly, her sobs quieted to hiccups, and she let him walk her home, silence lingering between them the whole way.

Of course, Rick had panicked when he saw his sister's state of arrival, and Kai had endured at least fifteen minutes of verbal torture occasionally punctuated by Popuri's sniffling. "What did you do to her?!" the poultry farmer had snapped. "What did you do to my sister?!"

"Freed her," Kai had said simply. "That's all."

Even Kai wasn't sure as to why he'd chosen to go where he did next. He could've argued it was because Manna was breathing down his neck for the juicy details of the split-up, or because he knew he couldn't handle working the shop in his current mental state, or because he wasn't ready to face his roommates at the Inn just yet.

But for whatever reason, on the fifth day of Summer, Kai found himself knocking on the library door.

* * *

Middles were quite a sticky business. When writing the beginning of a story, there's always the exhilarating rush of putting new ideas down on paper that lets the words fly from your pen, and when writing the end, there's always the tempting knowledge that you're close to finishing to spur you on faster. But middles, Mary thought with a sigh, were quite a sticky, sticky business.

Which is exactly why, as she was contemplating one such sticky chapter, she was relieved to hear a knock at the door.

"Oh, one moment!" the librarian called as she stood up, wiping the ink from her fingers onto her smock. "One moment, please—I have to get the key." Fumbling in her pocket, her fingers finally caught onto the metal object, and she jammed it into the lock and twisted it open. "Sorry," she apologized as she pulled the door open, blushing. "I didn't mean to take so long."

"No problem," her visitor smiled. "I should be the one apologizing for dropping in on you like this."

There are a few reasons as to why Mary didn't respond to that statement. First and foremost, the mere identity of her visitor was enough to shock her silent. Of course, she knew who Kai was; everyone knew everyone in a little place like Mineral Town. Yet this was the first time that one, he'd come to her humble library, and two, that he'd seen her _alone_. Normally Popuri was there, or Claire, or Gray…

"…So can I come in, then?"

Hastily, Mary bobbed her head yes and cleared a way for him, her heart pounding as she closed the door. Why on earth was Kai here, anyway? Was this one of those silly dares boys always did—like seeing if they could sneak a bottle of wine from Duke's cellar without being caught, or prank Jeff by calling that new store phone he'd bought? Oh, no, Mary simply could _not_ abide someone stealing from her precious library or pranking her things—oh, no, she wouldn't like that at _all_.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked instead, clearing her throat. The traveler had already seated himself in one of the reading chairs and was idly flipping through one of the books on the counter—_20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_, from the looks of it.

"Nah, I'm good," he replied, searching for the illustrations. "I just needed some quiet, you know?"

"Well, I suppose it doesn't get any quieter than a library," Mary agreed, scrutinizing him as he obliviously kept on reading. If he were here to prank, he certainly didn't look it; his expression was far too serious, too focused for such a childish pastime. Perplexed, Mary kept on staring, until finally Kai looked up and caught her gaze.

"Is there something on my face?" he questioned.

_A frown_, Mary wanted to say, but instead she replied, "I was just wondering how you like the book so far, that's all."

He glanced back at the pages, then with a sigh closed the book and said, "It's long. Really long. I'm really just skimming it, looking at pictures, you know."

Ah, so he was one of _those_ people. Mary had met their type—the 'too long, don't read' sort who only knew classics by name and not by story. "_Moby Dick_'s about the whale, right?" they'd say. "Like Shamu."

Yes, Mary knew the type. She had yet to understand them, but she recognized the symptoms well enough.

"Strange. I'd think you'd like that book," Mary commented, sitting beside him. She picked up the volume from the tabletop, and continued, "It's about sailors, you could say—people exploring the depths of the ocean. It's quite thrilling, if I may say so."

"Huh." Kai raised an eyebrow, and stared at the book once again. "Well, it's still long."

She sighed, and prepared to stand atop her soapbox. "Should length really matter? If you're worried about not having time to finish a book, the wonderful thing is that books, unlike television, can be put on hold for ages until you have time to finish them. You don't have to wait for chapters to come every Friday night like you do for TV shows, and you can take them with you anywhere. Besides," she added, stroking the binding reverently, "the longer a book is, the longer you get to savor it, the longer you get to experience that thrill of not knowing what will happen next. It's worth the time."

Mary placed the book back onto the table, and to her acute embarrassment, Kai was staring at her with his face scrunched up in confusion. "D-did I say something strange?" she stammered, no longer feeling quite so bold.

"Do you know," the traveler spoke finally, "that was the most I've _ever_ heard you say in my life?"

Mary fidgeted in her seat, not as eager to pursue this topic as the last, and muttered, "I'm just a…listener, I suppose."

"Wish I could say that," Kai grinned. "Sometimes I think the more I talk, the more trouble my tongue gets me in. It's like I have no idea how much I say without thinking, and then once I _do_ think about it, I start realizing how much I regret it." A pause. "Mary…you're a listener, right?"

She blinked owlishly. "W-well, I suppose…"

"So can I talk to you about something? Like, just kinda vent for a sec, and not have to worry about you talking about it to other people?"

No, this wasn't a prank—was it a dream? Some sort of alternate universe? Since when did Kai waltz into her library, asking her to play psychiatrist for his problems? Mary half-expected his confident grin to come back as he screamed, "Psyche! Gotcha!"

But he remained silent as he stared at her, waiting for an answer. Mary took in a deep breath and met his steady gaze. "Sure, I'll listen."

* * *

Everything spilled out from Kai's lips effortlessly—in fact, it shocked him just _how_ ready he was to complain about everything that had happened. How he'd dated Popuri simply because he thought she was cute and sweet, then as their relationship got more serious he realized just how insensitive he'd been to her family situation. How he felt like crap for telling her everything too late, crushing her just when she'd fallen in love with him.

"I guess you could say I didn't really think about just how much I was asking from her until I realized she loved me," Kai sighed. "God, she deserves so much better than me—she should have a guy willing to stay here, to protect her, provide for her, stand by her. I love Poppy, but I'm not willing to do that." He looked away. "I'm a little scared that she's too young to realize what she might be giving up for me."

Mary bit her lip and nodded, hands folded in her lap. "So that's why you broke up with her…"

"Exactly," Kai answered. "But I still hurt her, you know? I just wish I'd thought this through—you'd think Rick would be deliriously happy now that I've broken up with his sister, but now he hates me even more. Hey, I guess I just proved his point. I'm a selfish, no-good, heart-stealing creep." He attempted a smile, but it was a weak one.

"I wouldn't say that," the librarian spoke quietly. "Maybe…maybe you shouldn't have let things get so serious so soon, but…you're not selfish. You're doing this because you want to do what's best for Popuri, right?" He nodded slowly, and Mary smiled. "So what's selfish about that?"

"_Kai, I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes Mary just—just _says_ things, the things you most need to hear, in that soft voice of hers, and everything gets a little easier to handle. It's like…her aura or something."_

Kai hadn't believed Gray at the time. In fact, the traveler had just labeled the blacksmith as a love-struck fool and shrugged the comment off. Yet as he stared at the petite girl, blinking at him from behind large round glasses and smiling at him so sincerely, it got so much more difficult to feel stressed, angry, and frustrated. There was something serene about her—forgiving, even.

"…Gray is a very lucky man," he finally said, "to have someone like you by his side. I can see why he comes by here so often."

Immediately her peaceful expression turned frantic, and Mary stuttered, "Wh-what? Gray? And me?! Oh no…it's not like that at all." She averted her eyes and stammered out, "We're just friends, you see. It would never work out between us—he likes someone else, you know, and I'd never—"

"Well, that's his loss." Kai grinned a little mischievously, and leaning closely, he whispered into her ear, "If I'd been him, I wouldn't have let a girl like you out of my sight."

The statement had been impulsive—and Kai could probably recall countless other impulsive statements like this one that had gotten him into a world of trouble—but he'd meant every syllable. Popuri would have giggled at it, but the poor librarian's cheeks had turned a flaming red, and for some reason her mouth refused to work. "Th-that is, I, um, well, th-thank you," she whispered politely, looking down. "But I'm not sure that…I mean…"

A stern knock on the door interrupted her string of protests, and to Mary's relief, another voice drowned out her own:

"Mary? Mary, darling, are you still in here? It's a lovely summer day, and as your mother, I think it's a shame for you to be wasting it in here by yourself--"

The door opened, and a flustered Anna stood in the doorway, her sentence faltering as she stared at the couple seated at the table. Kai waved, and smiling, said, "Oh, don't worry, ma'am. I'm keeping your daughter company." He glanced Mary's way, then added, "That's alright with you, isn't it, Mary?"

Her nod answered him, and her cheeks burned once more in embarrassment. "I'd like that. Um, a lot." She turned towards Anna and assured her, "You can go now, mother. I'll be fine."

"I suppose," Anna murmured, smiling a little too brightly. "But of course, your father is going to want Kai to come for dinner with us—it's not everyday a _boy_ comes here for you, you know."

"_Mother_!" Mary shrieked, horrified.

"That sounds fun," Kai agreed, beaming as well. "When should I come over?"

And Mary could only listen as the plans were made, her opinion having no bearing on the matter whatsoever. Though maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. No, she thought as Kai winked back at her, maybe that wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

**End Note**: Well, this will be a fiveshot, I believe. And yes, I AM slapping myself for starting another ficlet right when I finally finished one that had been hanging over my head. Now I'll be busy again. Phooey.

Reviews are loved, but not required. :)


	2. Chapter 2: The Dinner

**Note: **Seriously, is this or is this not the cutest crack pairing ever?! Ah, I love writing it! Jean, I take it all back; I love you for this. I really do. XD

Out of the Blue

Part Two: The Dinner (That Was Not a Date)

"Bit dressed up tonight, aren't we?" Gray grunted, cocking his head at his roommate. Kai had finally emerged from the bathroom, and there was a clear distinction between the comfy-clothed traveler that had entered those doors and the smartly-dressed gentleman who had exited them. "What, did someone die or something?"

Kai's familiar laugh echoed in the room as he shook his head no and proceeded to walk past the blacksmith. "Nah, nothing nearly that exciting. I'm just going out tonight."

The redhead turned over on his bed, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'going out'? I thought you and Popuri were over." When that didn't get a response, he added, "Unless Manna's just spreading rumors again. Hell, wouldn't be the first time. You remember that rumor she spread about me and Claire the other day--? I swear, some days I just wanna take my fist and shut up that big mouth of hers."

"Don't we all," Kai agreed, fishing about his suitcase. "Gray, could you check that drawer for me? I can't find this tie of mine—"

Gray groaned, but he did as he was asked and began to look through the drawer's contents. "You and your damn bowties. Can't you just wear a T-shirt like ordinary people?"

"No can do," the traveler replied, finding said bowtie at long last. As his fingers looped it about the collar, he continued, "First impressions are incredibly important, you know. I'd like to think I'll do a better job with these than I did with Popuri's family—namely Rick. Wouldn't want a repeat of _that_."

"So it's a _girl_, huh?" The blacksmith smirked. Figured. Every time a guy did something stupid, there was a girl to blame. "Pretty early to be getting on the rebound, don't you think?"

"It's not like that." Bow finished, Kai proceeded to grab a comb and detangle his unruly black locks one by one, wincing as the teeth caught on snares. "I mean, she's a great girl—so it's not like it _couldn't_ be like that—but this just sort of happened last minute. We're just having dinner with her parents tonight. That's all."

Gray whistled, crossing his arms. "Dinner with the parents? You know Manna's going to have a field day with this. You break up with a girl and then have dinner with some other chick—'obviously,' that means you were cheating on Popuri," the blacksmith teased.

"Ha. Funny, Gray. Real funny."

Kai appraised himself in the mirror thoughtfully: spotless in a crisp white blouse with black silk pants to finish off the look. Without the sleek jacket (Kai had decided it was overkill), the bowtie seemed a little out of place, but overall the traveler liked the effect.

"So who's the girl?" his roommate pressed, a little tired of watching Kai preening himself up. Anytime a guy spent more than five minutes getting ready, Gray couldn't help but think a little bit of his masculinity got chipped away, and for the blacksmith it was painful to watch.

"Oh, she's real cute," the traveler beamed. "The coy type—classy, sweet, shy. Easy to talk to, though you wouldn't think it." He paused for a moment as he picked up his cologne. "A listener, you could say."

"The antithesis of Popuri, huh?" Gray commented. Then as his eyes caught sight of the bottle in his roommate's hands, he groaned. "Kai, come on! Not the man perfume. You're going on a date, not attending a wedding."

With a reluctant sigh, the traveler hid away his cologne under Gray's steady gaze. "Sorry. I just—I want to do things right, you know? It's been a while since…since I've done this first date thing. And Mary's such a great girl—"

"_Mary_?!"

Suddenly Kai realized he had a lot more to answer for than just wanting to wear 'man perfume' as the blacksmith glared at him, stunned speechless. "Y-yeah, we just kinda talked, and everything just snowballed from there—"

"You listen and you listen good. I don't want you out any later than nine thirty, got it?" Gray growled. "You _will_ say please and thank you, you _will_ eat all the food on your plate, and you _will_ _not_, under _any_ circumstances, do more than shake her hand, got it?!"

Kai nodded meekly, his heart sinking as he realized Gray with a hammer could be more dangerous than Rick in a rage. Not a pleasant mental image.

"I-I'll be good—"

"You'd better!" the redhead snapped, shaking his head in disbelief. "Gah, Mary's going on a date with _you_? _You_, Kai? Of all people?"

"Am I really so terrible that I can't be trusted around women?" Kai whined. And here he'd finally found a girl without any overprotective brothers…figured a guy with a hammer would have to be involved.

Gray cradled his head in his hands, sighing heavily as he sat himself down on the bed. "Fine, fine…go on your stupid date. But you have to do one more thing for me."

"And what's that?"

"Take off that hideous bowtie. You'll give the girl nightmares with that thing."

* * *

"But of course it's a date, Mary."

The girl sighed, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her eyes. The steam rising from the pot of stew fogged up her glasses, and her mother was a dark blob in the background of the kitchen. "Mother, we had a nice talk in the library, but that doesn't mean we had much more than that. It'd be silly to think that this dinner is…well…more than just a dinner."

Anna scoffed at that; just a dinner, indeed! Try the _first_ dinner she and Basil got to talk to a boy interested in their Mary; Gray had seemed a promising candidate, but then again he sweated so much in that blacksmith shop…always walked around with his head down…and that foul, foul language! Hmph. Their Mary deserved better than _that_.

"I think this is a wonderful opportunity for you to get to know the boy a bit more," Anna remarked, pulling out a celery stick and beginning to slice it with a knife. She glanced her daughter's way, and chided gently, "Away from yourself, dear. Always cut _away_ from yourself."

Mary mumbled an apology and resumed cutting her carrot; honestly, why she was cooking tonight was beyond her. _Men love it when a woman can cook_, her mother had explained with a smile. Personally, Mary loved it when a man was willing to heat up some ramen noodles instead. Much less fussing was involved.

"Oh, Mother, I don't think he's all that interested in getting to know me a bit more."

"And why wouldn't he be?" Anna countered, scattering the celery into the pot. "You're smart, pretty, talented—any man would be silly not to be interested in you."

Mary had her doubts, especially when it seemed her mother was being a tad—no, _quite_ a bit—overeager about this dinner. It wasn't as if men clamored at her doorstep every festival day, after all. Although if that were to happen, Mary wasn't sure she'd like it. It'd be quite intimidating, actually. The epitome of awkward.

"Is that boy here yet?" Basil called from the couch. Mary cowered a bit at the way he barked his question; he hadn't been nearly as thrilled as her mother about tonight's plans. In fact, there had been quite the argument between her parents over the matter—but naturally, Anna won with the vocal skills she'd picked up from Manna, and the dinner remained a party of four.

Though that didn't mean Basil had to like it.

"I've heard about this boy from Rick," her father continued, glowering. "He says he's the worst kind of boy—a womanizer, a heartbreaker! Goes around the world finding women in every country, stealing their hearts, then coming once a year to lie about how much he loves them—"

"Oh, you men," Anna pooh-poohed, peeling potatoes for the stew. "As if any of _you_ could be a reliable source. I'm sure he's a gentleman. We're all going to have a splendid dinner together, aren't we?" Silence lingered as Mary pretended to be occupied with her carrot and her father followed suit staring at the ceiling. Anna curled her lip into a frown. "I swear sometimes, this family…"

_Knock. Knock._

Everything froze for a split second as a cheerful voice called out, "Good evening! Hope I'm not too early."

"Oh my goodness, he's here!" Anna squealed, dropping the potatoes onto the counter and rushing to the door.

Mary paled. He was here? This early? Oh no, oh dear, she hadn't even fixed up her hair yet—goodness gracious, she smelled like onions and carrots—no, of course she wasn't ready to see him yet, she'd have to sneak upstairs and tidy herself up—

"Mary, darling, someone's here for you!"

Too late.

Swallowing the lump rising in her throat, she shuffled timidly towards the doorway, and mumbled out, "Hello…"

Urgh. It was just as she feared—no, worse. Her dark eyes widened as she drank in the handsome man before her, his blouse of fine white fabric and those black pants screaming "Classy gentleman." And what did her stew-stained apron and smock say? "Lazy slob."

"Nice to see you again, Mary." He grinned with those pearly white teeth, and Mary nodded dumbly. "You look lovely today."

Ha. If this was lovely, Mary hated to think what hideous looked like.

"Well, I'll leave you two together for a moment," Anna beamed. "I'm sure you have much to talk about before we put dinner on the table." As she started past them, she paused by Mary and whispered, "Doesn't he clean up nice? Quite the gentleman!"

"Dinner, mother," Mary reminded her desperately. "You were going to serve dinner."

With Anna gone, Mary took in a deep breath, fighting to avoid eye-contact with the traveler in front of her. What to say, what to say? Something intelligent, or attention-grabbing, or witty, or—

"Um, I—I didn't have time to get ready. Sorry. I was cooking dinner, and—"

"You cook?" Kai repeated, intrigued.

"Me? Not really," Mary admitted, blushing. "I'd rather just fix up a salad or something simple—I always get lost in recipes."

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "I find that very hard to believe, Miss Librarian."

"Y-you do?" she stammered.

"Well, yeah. If you can read all those monstrously huge novels without batting an eyelash, something tells me you can glance at a page of instructions."

It took her a moment to realize it was a compliment, and another shade of pink flushed across her cheeks in response.

"Ah! Almost forgot." Kai fished about his pockets (something Mary found comical, in his fancy attire) and finally pulled free a slightly battered flower. It stood up determined on the stem, royal blue petals unfurled with only the occasional bent or two. All the same, Mary found the act more than a little flattering, and took it admiringly.

"It's lovely, Kai," she mused, eyes sparkling. "That's so thoughtful of you."

"Well, it didn't feel right to come without a gift," he admitted, scratching the nape of his neck in embarrassment. "I'm glad you like it."

"Dinner, you two lovebirds! Dinner!"

And as Anna's voice rang out, Mary felt the beautiful moment become crushed under an overwhelming wave of humiliation.

* * *

"So, you travel?"

Kai laughed, Basil's question being spoken with the stoniest expression Mary had seen in years. "Travelers tend to do that," he grinned. "But I love every minute of it. Have you ever been to Australia?"

"Australia? My, that's quite a distance from here, isn't it, Mary?" Anna exclaimed, setting her napkin on her lap.

The librarian merely nodded, eating a spoonful of stew in response. Her blue eyes stole Kai's way, and she couldn't help but feel it was strange to eat in his presence—almost disconcerting. Accidentally, his eyes locked on hers, and she turned away instantly, embarrassment surging through her.

"What exactly did you _see_ in Australia, Kai?" Basil asked, dubious. "I'm sure there are many beautiful women there, aren't there?"

A gasp sounded from Anna's throat—honestly, why did this husband of hers have to try and botch their daughter's first ever dinner-date?—but Kai merely chuckled. "Sir, every woman is beautiful. Some men are just too blind to see that." He took a sip of his water, then added, "And as for your question, I happened to have seen lots of fascinating things in Australia. Not only is the shopping excellent, but their flora is something to look at to be sure."

"The flora?"

Mary stared incredulously as her father transformed from protective-father to enthusiastic-conversationalist in mere moments. Not only that, but Kai's sweet remark about women hadn't escaped Anna's notice, either, and she'd become quiet with a single awed sigh at his romantic nature. No, Mary thought to herself, Kai wasn't a traveler; he was more like a magician.

"So they call them kangaroo apples."

"Fascinating! Solanum laciniatum has always been an interesting species of plant, to be sure. Kangaroo apples…well! Anna, isn't that interesting?"

His wife nodded absentmindedly, then slipped an approving grin Mary's way, silently saying, "_You, my dear, are the luckiest girl _alive_ to have this boy_." But she didn't really have him, did she? This whole encounter was just a meal between friends. F-R-I-E-N-D-S. Friends. Mary picked at her plate, Basil's and Kai's laughter a background to the clinking of silverware against plates.

"Ah, Kai, you must really help me document some of these plants sometime," Basil continued, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "I'm sure Mary would love having another addition to her library, too; with my research and your on-field experience, we could really write something worthwhile!"

"I'm not much of writer, sir, but I'd be glad to send you some samples of different plants while I'm overseas," Kai offered, and Basil grinned in delight, exclaiming to Anna about just how _wonderful_ this boy of Mary's was.

"Honey, don't you want to talk to Kai about something other than plants?" Anna nudged, Mary having successfully shied away from all conversation. "I mean, after all, he's here to be with Mary, not to talk about apples and kangaroos and what-have-you."

Mary, actually, wouldn't mind being forgotten. She'd enjoy that very much, if her mother would so kindly let her continue being invisible in peace. But since the world is an unfair place, all eyes turned on her as she took a bite out of her roll, suddenly frozen under their scrutiny.

"Oh." Mary swallowed, her throat dry as sandpaper. "Um, no, it's fine. Kai and Father can talk about whatever they please. I—I'm eating anyways."

As if to illustrate her point, Mary crammed the rest of the bread into her mouth, regretting it immediately as her cheeks bulged and chewing suddenly became a chore. Anna's face fell, and as she muttered a little "oh, dear," Kai grinned to himself, amused. The girl looked so mortified, so ashamed as she ate the giant wad of bread; poor thing had bitten off more than she could chew. When she finally swallowed the stupid thing, she mumbled a little something that sounded like an apology, and Anna valiantly tried to change the subject.

"W-well, Kai, did you know that our little Mary is, um, a talented organist?"

"Really?" he commented, leaning towards the girl as she tried to regain a shred of invisibility. As he gazed at her Mary raised an eyebrow; his carefree grin was terribly hard to read, and part of her stiffened as she realized that he _might_ be grinning because she'd been making a fool of herself. Urgh. Figured. The sooner this dinner ended, the better.

"You know, I used to take piano lessons," Kai continued casually. "I never really got the hang of it; I guess I've got sailor's hands, not a pianist's. Mine are too rough to handle those glossy ivory keys. You must have gentle, slender hands, Miss Mary. I'd love to hear your music sometime."

There he went again; Mary was beginning to wonder if she could last five minutes without blushing at Kai's side. _Honestly_, he always said everything so sincerely, so easily…there could almost be a poetic quality to his compliments, you could say. Mary fidgeted in her seat, and replied, "W-well, thank you, but I'm sure you're not as horrible as you say. Maybe…I could hear you play, then, too?"

A broad smile had begun to appear on Anna's face, and Mary blinked, wondering exactly what she'd done to merit such a positive reaction from her mother. Then the thought crashed down on her without warning: 'Oh my goodness, I'm _flirting_ with him.' Flirting. Oh, Goddess. _Flirting_. With her parents in the room, no less.

"It's a date then, Miss Librarian," Kai agreed. He lifted his drink in a mock toast, then as his lips touched the rim, Kai paused, sniffing the air. "Does anyone else smell smoke?"

"The dessert!" Anna shrieked, running to the kitchen in a panic. Dazed, Mary stayed rooted to her seat, vaguely remembering that she'd left the brownies in too long. Well. _That_ thought might have been more useful twenty minutes ago.

Kai's chair was empty in seconds, the chef already grabbing the kitchen's oven mitt and surveying the damage. A smoldering pan of dark brownies hard as stone glared at him from the oven, and the traveler felt a pang of pity for this ruined meal. Not even his special cook's touch could salvage these burnt beauties.

"Oh, how dreadful!" Anna moaned, covering her face with her hands. "Oh my, I should _not_ have trusted Mary with the oven today! She's not ready, the poor dear…why did I push her…?"

A lightbulb clicked.

"Mary cooked this?" Kai inquired. A hand went to his mouth, and as he glanced once more at the pitiful dessert, a bout of uncontrolled laughter left his lips. Stifling it as best he could, Kai just couldn't help but grin; the librarian may know about her books, but in his world of cheese fondues and crème Brules, she was nothing more than an illiterate schoolgirl. It was almost as if the ground between them had leveled; they were equal, in their two separate spheres.

"What's in your fridge?" the traveler asked, grinning and grinning to no end at the girl's lack of culinary skill. Anna blinked, then replied that she didn't know, but it certainly was not enough to make more brownies. "That's not a problem," Kai assured her. "You go back to dinner; I'll be back in a bit."

Anna, really, had no choice but to do as he said.

* * *

"What's taking him so long?"

Mary shrugged at her father's complaint, and sunk deeper into her chair, trying to figure all this out. Well, technically, she and Kai weren't on a date. Technically. They'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and wound up here by accident. That was it.

Yet, Kai had dressed the part, hadn't he? From his behavior, you wouldn't think this was just a simple meeting between friends. He certainly acted a little more friendly than a friend should. Then again, Mary sighed as she took in the scent of his blossom, who knew what men were thinking, anyway?

In a way, it was good Kai was busying himself in the kitchen. It gave her time to think all this over.

"Hope you're hungry!"

Well. _Some_ time, anyway.

The traveler paraded into the room with a platter balanced upon his arm, and Mary let the pleasant aroma overtake her as he placed it on the table, lifting the lid to reveal four delicious looking crepes. "My!" Anna breathed, her husband already taking one eagerly. "Quite the cook, isn't he, Mary?" Then she elbowed Basil, asking none too subtly if he would come with her to the kitchen for a moment "to be alone. Right, Mary?"

Anna's animated wink was none too subtle, either.

The librarian grimaced at that, but her frown quickly disappeared as she surveyed the pastry treats before her, hesitantly picking up a strawberry-filled one for herself. It was hot—too hot, fresh from the oven—but she took a bite anyways, letting the succulent flavor soak her tastebuds. "It's marvelous," she whispered, and Kai gave a mock bow at that.

"My pleasure. To be honest, I really enjoyed myself in that kitchen of yours, Miss Mary. It's hard to keep me away from the pots and pans, you know?" He crossed his arms and shrugged. "Kind of like you and your books, I guess."

"But people don't usually burn their books," Mary mumbled, and Kai couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Yeah, you'd better keep your day job. That was a real piece of work, those brownies of yours. You could break your teeth on one of those things," Kai teased. Mary gave him a little frown and took another bite of her crepe, a small part of her forgiving him for his insult simply because this thing tasted so _good_.

"Well, at least that was the _most_ disastrous thing that happened tonight," Mary replied, lowering her gaze. "I—I'm sorry about my parents, really. Mother especially. She's just got so many expectations for me, and she's just jumped to conclusions—!"

A hand alighted on her shoulder, and she turned about to see Kai beside her, smiling. "Don't worry about it," he assured her. "We all have expectations our parents put on us, right? And to be honest…I had fun tonight."

"Did you really?" she breathed, almost too shocked to be fully relieved.

"Well, it was _almost_ as much fun as the day Popuri brought me to her house for the first time, and Rick chased me out with his posse of killer chickens—I'm kidding, Mary! I'm kidding!" he laughed, the librarian's astounded expression too priceless for words. "You know, I actually like your parents. They're not as awful as you make them out to be."

Mary couldn't help it; she laughed. "You obviously haven't known them long enough," she retorted. "Mother is convinced I need to find some outside hobbies besides work, and my father can turn any conversation into one about plants. Which, I guess, you figured out already." She bit her lip, and as she placed the remnants of the crepe down upon a napkin, mumbled, "But they do like you, and that's saying something. Though I wish they wouldn't think this was a date and start thinking ahead like that…"

"So it's not a date?"

She blinked. "Um," Mary began, "no, I don't _think_ so."

"So is it or isn't it a date?" Kai prodded.

Mary colored at that; what was Kai insinuating, anyway? That this was an _actual_ date? Ha! No, that was silly; he'd only just broken up with Popuri, after all. This couldn't be anything remotely like a real date. Just because he was dressed from head to toe in fancy silk clothes, he'd met her parents, and had been having polite banter with her all night long that made her blush to no end—

Wait a minute.

"Good Goddess, I just went on a date with you," Mary gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth, and every bone in her body turned to jelly at this sudden realization: a date, a date, good Goddess, a _date_. But she'd made it this far, and gosh darn it, she wasn't going to let herself faint now. It was too late for that, and she'd already embarrassed herself enough for one night. Thankfully, Kai sensed the danger quickly enough, and steadied her, the librarian's heartbeat now working on overtime.

"Am I that scary?" he apologized, and she swallowed, shaking her head.

"N-no, it's…I mean…we just went on a _date_," Mary breathed. She stared up at him with wide blue eyes, and wondered what in Goddess's name had made her go on her first serious date without even realizing that she _was_ dating in the first place. Hadn't she just been talking to this man yesterday, getting to know him for the first time, and now she'd _dated_ him? "You…this happened much faster than I always thought it would."

"…Is that bad?"

Mary shook her head, and Kai studied her; had he been a lousy date or what? Her face wasn't exactly disappointed, but he wouldn't call it elated either, and this strange expression confused him more than either emotion could.

"Kai," Mary began, clearing her throat, "I've just gone on a date with you, and I…I don't even know your favorite _color_!"

"Easy: purple."

"That's not my point. H-how can I date someone I barely know?" she protested. "I mean…it's weird enough _dating_ as is, but—"

Kai arched an eyebrow. "We're dating? As in, there will be more dates?"

"Kai, I—! Please, _please_ stop confusing me," the librarian moaned, and she sunk down into her chair once again, those crepes on the table looking even more inviting than before. She needed some sort of sugar right now; any energy she had left was slowly depleting with each word Kai spoke. She must be looking so _stupid_ right now, moping over a date that should've been considered a raving success all things considered, but this was so, so—!

"Sorry."

The traveler set himself down in the chair beside her, arms crossed loosely on the table. His amber eyes flickered her way, and he sighed, her expression still unreadable. "This is my fault. I just need to listen and shut up, right? Right." Another sigh. "Mary, it's okay if you're not into fast relationships. I'm used to them, because they're really all I have time for. Popuri was the exception, not the rule; I see a girl I like, and I go for her without a second thought. That's who I am. But I mean…I get it, if that's not you."

He fiddled with the silverware still on the table—Basil's fork—and as the light bounced off the dull surface, he added, "I had a lot of fun tonight. I honestly did, Mary. And doing something like this again with you would be incredible, I know it. But I get it; you don't know me that well. I'm going to leave soon, anyway. So this whole idea of a relationship between us is pretty pointless—"

"Blue."

Mary's voice was soft, barely audible as she mumbled her reply. Kai stopped playing with the fork long enough to turn to her; her head was ducked down low, and her fingers twisted her braid nervously this way and that, her eyes avoiding his desperately.

"What?" Kai managed, for once at a loss for words.

"My favorite color. Blue." She lifted her head, and smiled shyly, as if afraid of coming off too bright. "It's a start, isn't it?"

Not a bad start at all, either. In fact, as Kai grinned Mary's way, he couldn't wait to see exactly where their next step would go.

**

* * *

**

**End Note:** If you can't tell, I had a little bit _too_ much fun with this. Basil and Anna were slightly watered down for the sake of my want to write a comedic meeting of Kai and the 'rents, but when I finished, Basil struck me as quite Duke-ish and Anna quite Manna-esque. (Sorry, Natsume! I have failed you and your canonicity. D:)

By the way, is it just me, or did this ending line sound like a ridiculous attempt from the author to end a much-too-long chapter full of unnecessary fluff? No, of course not; must be my silly imagination. ;)


	3. Chapter 3: To the Beach

**Note**: I feel so dead. My laptop killed itself, so I couldn't type for a whole week while out-of-town. Thus, no writing. Which makes me cranky. Forgive the rushed-ness of this chapter; I've been dying to write so badly I might trip over my own feet.

Out of the Blue

Part Three: (How to Get a Pretty Librarian) To the Beach

They'd been sitting in the library for a good two hours when Kai decided that working on library research was just a fancy word for Time-Eating Annoyance. To be fair, _he_ was the one who'd offered to spend his break with Mary at the library today, and Mary had blinked those big eyes at him and remarked, "The library? But…um…there isn't much to see."

A wink and a "You're-all-I-need-to-see" later, the traveler sat on a stiff reading chair, that stupid _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ book once again his only means of entertainment. Mary had let it stay right where Kai had left it, in some desperate hope that he'd actually get motivated enough to tackle that page-filled monster and prove himself wrong about books.

Well, _that_ plan sunk fast.

"Hey, Mary?"

The figure hunched over the counter straightened up, and Mary turned about to see Kai slumped in his chair, book dangling from his hand. The librarian in her almost scolded him for ruining the book's binding, but she bit her tongue and instead responded sweetly, "Bored, Kai?"

"Completely."

Heaving a tiny sigh, she adjusted the bridge of her glasses. "Oh, I knew this was a bad idea. Kai, I mean…working at a library is sort of a…a…"

"A what?"

"A _simple_ job. You know, quiet. Time-consuming." Mary narrowed her eyes on Kai as he fanned himself with the pages. "Rather dull, to people like you."

Well, denying that would be the lie of all lies, so Kai just shrugged and looked out the window. "Sunny day," he commented, watching the clouds roll by. "Perfect weather."

By now, Mary was already back to work on her…notebook? Kai couldn't quite tell what exactly it was. Without lifting her eyes, she remarked, "You don't say."

"Oh, yeah. Definitely." Kai stretched, his arms almost knocking over a whole shelf of Leo Tolstoy's work. Almost. "Days like this, the ocean's as wide and blue as can be. All you can see for miles and miles is calm, cool, clear water."

"Clear?" Mary repeated, amused.

"Gah, you're so literal!" Kai groaned as Mary giggled into her hand. "Okay, okay, so the ocean is never really anything but a green and blue mass of water, but that doesn't mean it's not worth going to. So what if it's not as clear as tap water? After all…there's _splash_-fights." He wiggled his eyebrows and Mary laughed again, closing the book just enough for the chef to cheer inside.

"Well," the librarian began, "you know what else is at the beach? Sunburns. Very red, painful sunburns that like to prey on those of us with a lighter complexion, Kai."

"So wear sunscreen."

"_Sunscreen_?"

"Sunscreen! You know, that white pasty stuff you spread on your body so that you _don't_ get burned to a crisp?" Kai retorted. She wilted somewhat at that, and Kai almost let himself do a victory dance…which may or may not have resulted in that Tolstoy shelf actually falling down this time.

"Well," Mary said feebly, "I—I don't have a swimsuit."

"That might've been a little more important to announce _earlier_," Kai mumbled to himself, but he stood up and began to pace the room, in deep thought. One step, two step, three step, turn. One step, two step, three step, turn.

"Got it!" Kai exclaimed. Mary cocked her head at him in thought, and he said, "Just wear your underwear. It's practically the same thing as a bikini."

A book-slap to his head ended that suggestion. A few more paces and a bruise later, Kai whirled about again, shouting, "I got it!" then flinching as Mary held another book ready. "No, um, this is a _good_ idea. Promise." He grinned disarmingly. "Borrow a suit from another girl."

"Kai, I really don't--!"

"Oh, c'mon, Mary. I bet Elli, or maybe even Ann, has something you could squeeze into," Kai insisted. Mary stared at him with pleading eyes, arranging the minutia on her desk into neat, tiny piles as she stumbled over her words.

"Kai…no, I—I don't want to borrow one," she mumbled. "I don't…I mean, I'm not very fond of the beach, and I just…no. Not today. B-besides, I have to work." A smile suddenly flashed across her face, and standing up, Mary beamed, "Why, that's right! _I have to work_! I couldn't go to the beach because I'm working, and shirking my duties would be unspeakable, so there's no reason for me to—"

"Mary?" Kai leaned against the nearest bookshelf and raised an eyebrow. "You're self-employed, aren't you? Just take a few hours off."

Mary sunk back into her seat, defeated. "W-well." Her fingers fiddled with her braid and she stared at the walls of books instead to clear her head: Austen, Nabokov, Woolf. Reassuring names, familiar names. "I may be my own boss, but—but I need to be responsible, and this town needs me to watch the library."

"Because you have _so_ many visitors, Mary." Kai squeezed her shoulder, and massaging out the knots and cramps, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I think Dust Bunny Joe and Charlotte the Spider need a day to themselves, huh? And you need a little beach action. Come on, Mary. You know you want to."

Mary reached for her book to slap him again, but no, no, this actually felt _relaxing_. "Kai…" she whined, defenses weakening.

"Come on, Miss Librarian. You know you want toooooo."

Oh, no, no, he was not going to win like this. Mary simply would not allow it. "Kai, I don't—" And there his hands went again, kneading her back like dough. What else could she do but lay her head in a puddle of relief on the countertop, all those cramped muscles sick of being bent over for hours at a time finally getting a moment's reprieve? It was criminal, how much she loved being taken advantage of. And Mary wouldn't stand for it.

Not five minutes later, anyway, when she finally broke his hold and demanded, "I'll make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Kai questioned, and his hands fell. "What kind of deal?"

"I'll go to the beach with you if, and only if," Mary explained, "you read a book in here and finish it." She slipped around him, blue cloth flying behind her, and picked up a large book to wave in his face.

Kai's amber eyes widened. "Oh, Goddess, no."

"Oh, Goddess, yes."

_20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_ was shoved into his hands, Mary mouthing "good-luck" as she returned to her work.

* * *

"So, wait, let me get this straight." Ann folded her legs under her, brow puckered as she listened to Mary's story. "You're making Kai read 11th grade English literature so that the two of you can go to the _beach_?"

Mary shrugged, the lace of her nightgown tickling her feet. She brushed it away and stared at the ground, mumbling, "Well, when you put it like that, it sounds rather silly."

"Only you, Mare," Ann laughed. "Only _you_ would come up with something like that." The redhead's braid had been pulled loose, and her red curls tumbled down her back like a waterfall of fire. Mary's own braid wasn't undone yet, and she was taking her sweet time getting ready for bed. Blushing a rosy shade of pink, she fumbled in her overnight bag, producing a toothbrush.

"Well, he kept pushing me to go, Ann. I…I don't know, I suppose I just got tired of it. And you'd think he'd know if I didn't want to go to the beach, wouldn't you?" Mary insisted. Squirting the blue paste onto the toothbrush, she brushed up and down as Ann rolled her eyes.

"Well, to be fair, he's a guy, not a mind-reader. If you didn't want to go, you should've said so."

Leaning over Ann's sink, the librarian rinsed and spat. "Well." Moving on to her face, Mary grabbed the soap and rubbed it on her hands, bringing them to her cheeks. "I certainly made myself clear, Ann. I told him no, and then he—he—!"

"He what?"

"He _cheated_!" Mary blurted out. Splashing her face with water, she continued, "He started talking really slow, and brought his hands to my shoulders and massaged them—oh, Ann, I loved every minute of it, and I could just scream!" As if on cue, she let out a tiny shriek and her hands went to her eyes. "Ow! Soap in my eyes."

"So basically he gave you a back massage?" The waitress rocked back on the mattress and grinned. "Man, I wish I had the same problems you do. You know how many times I had to bend down to pick up fallen plates and silverware today? Knots everywhere."

"That's not the point," Mary muttered. She crossed over to the bed, picking up the candle and setting it beside them with a sigh. "If he reads this book, then I…I'll actually have to go to the beach, Ann." Eyes shining in fear, Mary bit her lip and took Ann's hands. "I don't want to go. I…I'm scared to go."

And suddenly Ann remembered that the ink-stained hands she was holding once gripped the dock for dear life, had once flailed about in sea water, and had been rescued just in time. These hands had been tiny then, a child's. But Mary looked at her with those same scared eyes, and Ann announced, "Don't be telling _me_ that. Tell _him_."

A hand pointed to the door, and taking in a deep breath, Mary shuffled next door to Kai's room, and knocked one tiny knock.

* * *

"I swear, Gray, it's all gibberish to me."

Kai flipped through the pages, then flipped them the other way, letting out a defeated sigh. Gray, being his unsympathetic self, had just shrugged and continued admiring his new golden hammer. "So don't read it, Kai."

"But then I don't get to go to the beach all summer!" the traveler pouted, bringing the book to slap Gray just as Mary did. To his surprise, the blacksmith turned in time, and smirked.

"Go to the library as often as I do, and you develop reflexes like that pretty fast," Gray grinned. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Kai stuck his tongue out at him, and the door opened slightly to reveal a very tired-looking Cliff. He glanced from Kai to Gray before plopping himself down on his bed and asking, "Um, what's going on, exactly?"

"Once upon a time there was a lame book that a poor guy had to read because this gorgeous girl told him to," Kai droned. "And if he didn't read it, he'd never see the beautiful blue ocean shores again."

"Drama queen," Gray muttered, but Kai's book hit him this time, earning the traveler a smug grin.

Cliff sat up in bed and squinted, asking, "So what book is it?"

"_20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_," Kai announced bitterly. He flung himself on his bed and opened to the first page, mimicking, "_The year 1866 was signalized by a bizarre incident, a mysterious and inexplicable _blah blah blah. Why should I care what happened in 1866?"

"Because you want to see Mary in a swimsuit," Gray muttered darkly.

"Thanks, Gray. That doesn't make me sound perverted at _all_," Kai groaned.

"So what is this about, then?" Cliff asked. He crossed over to join Kai, and waited curiously. "Why's the beach so important?"

Kai stared at him incredulously. "Why do you think? The beach is where all the fun is at: surfing, swimming, sandcastle building, you name it. And…have you ever spent a day at the library? _Have_ you, Cliff?"

"It's not that bad," Gray interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Some people just don't know how to be quiet."

"Well, some of us don't like reading boring books and—! You know what?" Kai demanded, opening the book once more on his lap. "You're distracting me. I could've gotten past chapter one by now. Thanks, guys. Thanks a lot."

Gray and Cliff exchanged glances, but let the chef be as he sat in his corner of the room, reading under the lamp that was his only source of light. Occasionally he glanced up to frown at his snoring roommates, then turned once more to the jumble of words before him with a sigh. "Man," Kai groaned. "Jules Verne really knows how to write a lot about nothing."

"Doesn't he?"

The soft voice startled him, and looking up, Kai realized he hadn't even heard the door open. A slight shadow stood before him, and after blinking a few times he recognized the girl before him and her unsure smile. "Sorry I'm coming in so late," Mary apologized, gesturing to a sleeping Gray and Cliff. "I…I was over at Ann's, and, um, realized I needed to talk to you."

She hesitated before sitting beside him and cleared her throat, Kai still too stunned to really speak. "Um, yeah, talk away," the traveler assured her. "I'll listen."

"I know you will," Mary smiled. "I just, well, I don't think I've been very fair to you." She smoothed her nightgown and continued, "The beach is a lovely place, I'm sure. But I've always been a little scared of water, is all. Um, when I was little, I once dropped something in there—my doll—and I couldn't stay afloat. I don't think I'd ever been so scared of anything in my life." The librarian turned to gauge Kai's reaction, and laughed. "Silly, isn't it? That I'm letting a little fear like that control my life."

"So what you're saying is," Kai reasoned slowly, "you don't know how to swim?"

Mary nodded. "Not a clue."

"And…I don't have to read this book, do I?"

She couldn't help but laugh. "Only if you want to," Mary grinned. "It'll always be waiting for you in the library if you change your mind."

Kai leaned back, the release from this task overwhelming. The girl stared at him expectantly, and he announced, "I have a proposition, Miss Librarian."

"Do you, now?"

Kai nodded, the idea sounding more brilliant by the second. "Alright, so you don't know how to swim, right?"

"Right," Mary replied carefully.

"And _I _know how, don't I?"

"Where is this going, Kai?"

"Why, Miss Librarian!" Kai exclaimed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Haven't you ever had swimming lessons?"

* * *

Mary had never felt more ridiculous than right now, dressed in Ann's old swimsuit. A striped one-piece, it fit a little tighter than she would have liked (apparently it was from Ann's middle school days) and showed off her pale arms and legs in a way that made her want to crawl back into her library and hide.

"You ready?"

Kai waded toward her, sunlight glinting off his bare tanned back, and Mary swallowed before nodding. Her legs shook beneath her, and the water caused cold chills to crawl up and down her spine. "It's c-cold," she stammered.

"You're only two feet deep."

"S-so?"

Kai laughed and took the librarian's shaking hands, pulling her deeper. "Can you tread water?" Her head shook a frantic no, and Kai sighed. They hadn't gotten to the tough parts yet, and she was already terrified. Great.

"In a few steps," he explained, "you won't be able to touch the sea floor. So what I want you to do is follow my lead and kick beneath you, okay? Like…like a bicycle."

"Bicycle. Okay."

Mary took a cautious step forward, her foot stepping onto a mushy patch of sand. Squirming, she skipped forward to lose her footing and realize, to her terror, that she couldn't stand.

"Bicycle!" Kai shouted again. "Kick under you!"

If Mary was going to drown, it certainly wasn't going to be in front of Kai. Biting her lip, she willed herself to keep kicking, just keep kicking, kicking kicking kicking…

"Keep going!"

…Oh Goddess, this water was so cold, and all this effort so tiring, but she had to keep kicking, kicking, she had to, and—wait.

"What are you doing?" Mary gasped.

Kai laid on his back, calm as you please, staring at the sunny sky. "You know," he said, "I'm pretty sure you've read somewhere that people float, right?" He grinned. "Get on your back—it's much easier than kicking. I just wanted to make sure you could tread water if necessary."

Glaring daggers at him, Mary did as he said and relaxed on the ocean's surface, closing her eyes. The water rose up her mouth, which alarmed her at first, then as she realized her nose was safe, she loosened up. Yes, there was something rather nice about this, wasn't there?

_Splash!_

Instantly Mary took it all back as Kai laughed, the librarian's face and hair completely soaked. "That's certainly not funny!" she chided him, turning over and dogpaddling to where Kai stood. He reached out and pulled her onto the sandbar and laughed again.

"Yeah, it definitely _was_ funny." Kai winked. "Payback for all those times your books have hit me, huh?"

Furious, Mary sputtered out some nonsense and finally turned to the water to splash him in return. As the wave of water crashed down on him, Mary laughed this time. "Don't serve what you can't handle, Kai."

He shook the water from his hair and grinned mischievously at her. "So, that's the way you want it, huh? Splash-fight?"

The water answered him quite nicely.

* * *

Anna blinked when her daughter entered through the door, soaked to the bone and laughing. Her braid had fallen out almost completely, and the glasses on her nose seemed to be the only dry part of her. The eyes behind them were red-rimmed, irritated by the salt water, and her skin seemed just pink enough for the word "sunburn" to come to mind. And where had that swimsuit come from; for the life of her, Anna couldn't remember buying it for her daughter.

"Darling, are you…alright?" her mother managed.

"Perfectly fine," Mary smiled, starting up the stairs. "Lovely day to go to the beach, don't you think? In fact, the weatherman says tomorrow will be sunny as well."

"Tomorrow? You mean you're going swimming again?"

The librarian paused on the stairs and gave her mother a big grin. "I certainly hope so!"

As her daughter was stomping up the stairs and leaving a trail of puddles behind her, Anna wondered exactly when Mary wasn't afraid of water and why, exactly, she had a hunch that Kai had something to do with it.

* * *

**End Note**: I'm not as happy with this one. I miss the old version that my laptop ate. :(


	4. Chapter 4: To Read or Not to Read

**Note: **Yay for late updates. I'm on a fluff splurge at the moment, so let's see if I can stretch it just a wee bit further with this chappie, m'kay? ;)

Out of the Blue

Part Four: To Read or Not to Read (Or Just Wreck Stuff Instead)

"_No_, Kai. You can't see it."

The traveler leapt forward anyhow, and Mary quickly stuffed her notebook onto the tippy-top of the highest bookshelf, hopping off her ladder with a satisfied smirk. "No," she repeated firmly. "Kai, I love you, but no. Rough drafts are not for anyone's viewing pleasure but the writer's. And you're not even a _reader_, for Goddess's sakes!"

Kai pouted, and immediately the librarian felt guilt pile upon her shoulders in unfair amounts. _This_, she thought bitterly to herself, was her punishment for finally answering his "what-do-you-_do_-in-that-library-anyway?" question. She, being Mary, had opted for an honest answer, and he, being Kai, had chosen to get involved.

Which was Not Good. At all.

"If you're writing a novel, Mary, I want to see it," he pressured her. "Hey, if you wrote it, it's got to be awesome, and besides, don't you want some editing?"

"Yes, but not from you, Kai! I mean—" The writer sank into her comfy chair and laughed, shaking her head as her braid bounced back and forth. "Oh, no. No. I can't imagine you…I don't know, Kai…being a grammar Nazi. It just doesn't fit."

"I definitely passed first grade English, thank you very much," Kai teased, wrapping his arm around her snugly. "And I wouldn't mind reading anything you wrote. Really. It could be fun."

A little _too_ fun, Mary worried. At first, the idea of a boyfriend (for that was now what Kai was, take it or leave it) reading her work had seemed terribly romantic, the most delectable of all clichés—but now…now, not so much.

She had silently made this decision to protect her work when a new routine started up between them; before running off to the beach, Mary and Kai would sit in the library a while, where Kai would pick up a random book and begin tearing apart its words. "_To read or not to read!_" he'd cried in a fake, posh accent as he waved _Hamlet_ about. _"Whether tis nobler to face Shakespeare's confusing words so that mine eyes might bleed in horror, or to flee this library's walls so that I might get me some sunlight! _Seriously, Mary, can we go now?_"_

Mary ripped apart her own stories all the time. But to hear Kai snicker at her prose and laugh at her plots, well…she wasn't ready for that.

And this was getting quite difficult to explain to Kai.

"I…I just don't think you'll be interested," Mary replied curtly. "Now, shall we be going to the beach, or do you want to lose your tan, Kai?"

"You're caving in roughly a half-hour earlier than usual, Mary. We have time to kill. Nice hedging, though; I'm impressed."

"I'm not hedging," she lied.

Kai's lips turned upward in a grin. "Excellent. So you won't mind if I do _this_." And then, to Mary's utter horror and disbelief, her boyfriend rammed himself against the bookcase—knocking down her notebook and dozens of other books in the process.

A single scream ripped from the librarian's throat as they both dove in, fighting to grab the tiny spiral-bound book. Mary's arms flailed about, shoving Laura Ingles Wilder and Edith Wharton aside as she valiantly sought for her work. "Sorry, sorry!" she kept apologizing under her breath as she bent a page, whereas Kai showed no such sympathy for the library's well-being. (Kai, Mary had discovered early-on, dog-eared his books and bent out the binding without batting an eye. It was very lucky she loved him, or else he and his book-marring hands would have been kicked to the curb ages ago.)

"Oh, no you don't!" they shouted in unison as they both spotted the object of their frenzy, tucked behind a fat copy of Jane Austen's work. Two pairs of hands lunged forward, and missing the book, latched onto each other, a strange wrestling match ensuing.

"Kai, let me go!" Mary begged, her eyes glued to her precious book.

"Goddess, I'm not going to _kill_ it, Mary!"

"Let _go_!" she shrieked once more. This time, the traveler obliged, and Mary tumbled backward into another bookcase, _Goodnight Moon_ landing neatly on her head.

"And _I_ am the _champion_, my friends!" Kai sing-songed as he held the book up high. He swayed it this way and that, like a glowstick, while Mary seethed at him from behind colorful pictures and slightly bent glasses.

"You…Kai, you…!" she huffed as she fought to catch her breath. "My library, you….you…!" Glaring, her expression conveyed what her words could not.

Kai shrugged. "This is your own fault, love. If you had just given me the book nicely, then we wouldn't have this mess to clean up."

"_My_ fault?" Mary sputtered.

"Well, there's no need to be a drama-queen over this, Mary," the traveler explained, giving his best I-love-you smile to combat her glare. "I care about you. You care about me. You care about writing. So why shouldn't I be a part of that?"

"Because that's _my_ decision, not yours!" Mary retorted, indignant tears stinging her eyes. "If you love someone, you don't go and push them around just because they tell you 'no' once! _Once_, Kai! Was it so hard to just let me keep one thing to myself?" Oh no, she couldn't let the tears fall, no—but once she felt the cold touch of the first one trickle down her cheek, she found she had no power to stop them. How utterly embarrassing. This entire building had become so messy, so completely devastated of all order, and to top things off, her boyfriend was to blame. And now, the very words of her soul were in his grubby hands, and she was _crying_.

"Mary, you know I'll help clean it up," Kai coaxed, uncertainty flashing in his eyes.

"You've done enough," the librarian snapped, standing up and smoothing out her dress primly. "Fine. Take home your prize. Laugh away, go ahead. Just leave me alone, Kai."

In the heat of her fury, Kai, really, had no choice but to do as she said.

* * *

"You have to start talking to me sometime."

Kai sighed, receiving no answer, and began to pace the floor. "Okay, fine, so I went a little overboard—"

"A _little_?"

"—and maybe I looked like a jerk—"

"Let's get something straight. You don't just _look_ like one, Kai; you _are_ one."

"—but at least now that I'm apologizing, we're talking again!" the traveler finished hopefully. "So, let's let by-gones be by-gones, and patch things up between us. Sound good?"

"No. You sound like an idiot," was the retort, as Gray crossed his arms and turned away again. "And I'm not forgiving you. Not after what you did to her, got it?"

Manna had learned from Anna, who'd learned from a distraught and tardy Mary, of the events that had taken place in the library yesterday. Naturally, by eight o'clock this morning, everyone had heard enough to know at least one very basic thing: Kai had been a jerk, and Mary had sent him away in tears. So, in Mineral Town, Kai had now become public enemy number one.

There was much rejoicing in Rick's household that day.

"C'mon. You weren't even there!" Kai whined as Gray rolled his eyes. "She wasn't letting me read her notebook, so she put it on a shelf, which basically is the same thing as double-dog-daring me to go get it."

"Double what?"

"Ask Stu," Kai explained with a wave of his hand. "But Mary was asking for it, Gray. I mean, what writer doesn't let people read their work, I ask you? Isn't that what publishing is all about?"

"Mary isn't published," Gray deadpanned.

Kai flattened his palm on the notebook laying upon his desk and let out a single, agitated groan. "I know, I _know_! But I wish she was, if I could only read her work more easily that way. Now I feel so guilty, I can't even bear to open the stupid thing, and I worked so hard for it, too!"

"Yeah, Kai. Wrecking a library takes a _lot_ of hard work."

"Oh, like _you_ haven't done worse," Kai groaned. Gray opened his mouth. "Don't answer that. Basically, I just want someone to listen to me, at least, and you're my _roommate_, Gray. We've…we've got some kind of bond, right?"

"Sure." Gray snorted. "And you broke it when you ransacked the library."

"It was not ransacking—!"

"Pillaging, then. Look, either way, you basically trampled on Mary's feelings, ruined her library, and stole her most prized possession. You've got next-to-nothing on the sympathy meter for me, Kai."

The chef cocked his head, fingering his chin in thought. "Well. Next-to-nothing is at least something."

"Not really," Gray answered easily. "The only pity I can give you is for the constant guilt Mary and everyone and their mother will fling at you. Which you deserve, by the way."

"Wow, thanks, Gray. I can feel the _understanding _and _forgiveness_ just radiate from your kind words."

"Don't mention it."

So Kai didn't.

* * *

Mary had walled up inside her room, her nose red and her face blotchy from the perpetual sniffling that had fallen upon her since yesterday. After curling into her mother's arms and confessing about her awful day, Anna had dutifully promised to maintain watch ("I knew that boy was bad news, just knew it!") and keep that bandanna-wearing rascal away from her sweet wronged daughter. Add Manna into the mix, and so was practically all of Mineral Town.

Still in her fuzzy jammies, Mary snuggled into the warmth of her bed, ignoring the sunlight pouring through the windowpane. _I wonder if he's read it by now_, she thought to herself, staring at her empty journal blankly. _I wonder if he hates it._

Cleaning the library had taken her a good four hours, and she'd grumbled and sobbed and shouted all by herself in that tiny room as she nursed each book back to health. Still, that thought had been what truly plagued her all that time: _Does he hate it? Does he? Does he?_

Now, Mary figured she ought to start a new story, but every idea came out too dark for her taste. A girl who loses her boyfriend to madness. A traveler who refuses to listen to his wife and is swallowed by a big squid because of it. A woman who gets robbed of her most precious possession.

Life, they say, imitates art. For that reason, Mary was hesitant to use her rude-boyfriend-gets-smacked-on-the-head-by-an-angry-blacksmith's-hammer plot bunny anytime soon.

"Darling?"

Mary flinched at her mother's tentative call, and answered, "Yes, mother?" meekly.

"Someone's here to see you," Anna answered, and the gentle tone in her voice assured her it wasn't—as Mary had first suspected—Kai. After debating for a few moments in silence, Mary nodded to herself with a little sigh.

"Um, okay. Send them up, please."

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. The light sound of footsteps against the stairs sounded in Mary's ears before a young woman arrived in the doorway, her eyes wide and mouth in a huge O.

"Mary, you're still in your pajamas?" Popuri exclaimed in shock. "I mean, if I'd known, I would've given you time to get dressed, but…wow, are you okay?"

The librarian glanced down at her plaid-print clothes and shrugged sheepishly. "I'm…I suppose I'll be fine," she conceded. "It's just, I'm not used to fights, is all."

"If it makes you feel better, Kai hates 'em, too."

Mary frowned at her pointedly. "We are not to speak of the K word in this house."

Popuri erupted into a fit of giggles at that, and plopped herself down on the librarian's bed. "Oh, I've done that, too. Between me and Rick, we had our own little World War III in our household plenty of times over that these past weeks. But…" She twirled her hair about her finger and bit her lip. "But it's okay now. Mhm."

"W-well, I'm happy for you," the brunette replied softly. "That's good news. Good…good news." She, too, sat upon the bed, then gave the younger girl a curious glance. "Popuri—why are you here?"

"Um, that might involve a few K words," she admitted with a tiny blush. "But to make things short and simple, uh, I just wanted to say that I think you're making a big mistake."

Mary's lips formed all manner of responses: indignation, shock, anger. Yet somehow she found she could not speak as she stared at this woman, wringing her hands on her very own unmade bed. Ruby eyes darted back and forth before settling on the petite librarian, and Popuri swallowed noisily. "I know, I know. Why listen to me? I mean, I'm younger than you, I'm his ex, and I don't think you and I have ever really tried to talk that much, anyway. So why am I trying to talk to you, huh? What gives me the right?"

A deep, shaky breath escaped her throat before Popuri continued, "It's not that I'm jealous of you, Mary. N-not that I'm _not_ jealous. Because I am, you know, but not because of what you think. I just see you and him, and I—I see something there, something that I don't recognize, but I wish that I did. I see him smiling, and laughing, and…and you…Mary, you're too good to him. And he's too good to you. So how can something so beautiful, and so romantic, get destroyed over something like this?"

"You don't—!"

"I don't what, Mary?" Popuri asked with a laugh. "I'm not the smartest girl, but I'm kind of wondering how a little fight in a library can be so…so big that it can end something like that. And if everyone looks for that kind of happiness, and it can be ruined so easily, well, why bother with the looking?"

"But he didn't respect me, Popuri!" Mary insisted, her voice high and strange. "He—he took the best of me, without asking, and now he can do whatever he likes with it! He can rip it apart, laugh, or—or he can think I'm stupid, and silly, and just….I don't know! He could be doing anything at all, Popuri, and that _scares_ me!"

Mary curled within herself and pressed her pillow to her face, her cries muffled. Her companion patted her gently on the shoulder, and Popuri whispered, "But Mary, isn't love all about trust, anyway?"

"So what happens," Mary whispered right back, "when he can't be trusted?"

* * *

Romance comes at a dear, dear price. For one thing, Kai knew he was never, ever going to try to sneak out of the Inn after closing ever again; he'd tripped on the stairs, woken up Ann, and gotten his head bitten off for it. But on the plus side, she'd unlocked the door for him when he explained his plea…even after yelling at him again for being stupid.

Which, Kai had to admit, he was.

"Psst! Hey!" Clink, clink, clink went the pebbles against the window. The traveler squinted to make out the figure approaching the windowsill, and Mary blinked, her hand hesitating at the lock.

"Come on, Mary! I need to talk to you."

It opened, and Mary stuck her head out, glasses hurriedly perched on her nose. "It's late. I need to sleep."

"Like you were asleep at this hour," Kai teased. "You were probably writing."

Her cheeks colored. "M-maybe. Maybe not. At any rate, I don't want to talk to you. Goodnight." The window closed, and Kai threw another pebble at its panes.

"I'll do it all night, if that's what it takes," the chef threatened.

At that, Mary creaked it open. "My mother would kill you before she let that happen."

"Are you kidding? That woman loves me."

"Not anymore she doesn't," Mary told him with a tiny giggle. It wasn't that she wanted to laugh—because she didn't, of course—but seeing Kai's fallen expression was just too comical to ignore. "I'm afraid she's joined the dark side with Rick."

"And you?"

Mary paused. "I…haven't decided that yet." She eyed him—a tiny purple speck on the ground—and frowned. "Why are you here, Kai? It's over."

"Maybe I won't let it be. Maybe I need to say something before we regret anything." He fidgeted before bringing out the notebook, shame in his eyes. "Um, I…I have something of yours. And I need to say something."

Mary's heart skipped a beat. "O-oh, you…you've read it, then." _He hated it, he hated it, it's awful, and terrible, and I'm never going to be able to face him again, that jerk jerk jerk…_

"No." Kai shook his head. "I—I wanted to, you know, but every time I started to, I kept…seeing you."

"Seeing me?" Mary repeated.

"Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck, and continued, "Like, I imagined you smacking me on the head with a book, or poking me with a pencil, and yelling at me, and…and it wasn't worth it. Especially not worth ending…_us_…over."

The librarian considered this. "What book was I smacking you on the head with?"

"_20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_."

"So you must have been feeling pretty guilty, then." Mary propped her chin on her arm and tried to control all these emotions swirling within her: relief, amusement, lingering anger, joy. Yet when Kai looked up at her with those eyes, it was all she could do to keep herself from jumping down into his arms. "I don't know…Kai, I…you really hurt me."

Kai bowed his head. "I know."

"And the library—"

"I know," he repeated. "I…I pillaged and ransacked it. I'm nothing but a stupid Viking."

Mary tilted her head at him, lips pursed in thought. "May I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure."

"Why did you want to read it so badly?" she insisted. "Why would you go through all that trouble, just to read my silly little novel?"

Kai gazed up at her in disbelief, and she blushed, her expression shy and coy. "Because you made it, Mary. And anything you'd put your heart and soul into would have to be beautiful. You've got nothing ugly to give."

A tiny sob broke from her throat, and a smile so wide it could bridge the ocean split across her face as Mary dabbed her eyes. "Kai…" A laugh. "Kai, you don't know when to stop, do you?"

"Do you really want me to?" Kai asked, grinning.

She shook her head, still blushing, and retreated two steps back. "It's late. Um, if my mother catches you out here, I might never see you again."

"Talk about a complete one-eighty, huh?"

Mary giggled. "That's what happens when you wreck libraries."

"You mean pillage and ransack," the traveler corrected.

"That, too." The girl smiled, and without a thought in the world, put her hand to her lips and blew a tiny kiss on the wind. "I'll…see you tomorrow, then. There's a book, I think, that I need to read to you."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm. Goodnight, Kai."

The window closed, and a triumphant Kai pounded his fist in the air, shouting just loudly enough to wake half the town with his whoops and become hated twice as much as before.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad that worked out."

"Yeah."

"It could have ended very stupidly, you know. They could've blown it."

"You mean Kai could've."

"Oh, you never know. You can't underestimate the quiet ones, after all." She took another bite of her breakfast and smiled, her companion picking at his meal. "What, don't you like eggs?"

"I do. It's just…I'm not in the mood to eat. I'm still kind of in shock."

She laughed. "I'm not. I'm in a great mood! Bubbly and full of life! Playing matchmaker is so invigorating, I had no idea."

"All we did was guilt people," Gray reminded her.

"True," Popuri agreed with a little grin. "But look where it got them, huh?"

And after giving her new boyfriend a kiss on the lips, both couldn't help but think, _And look where it got us._

Gray pulled away just enough to raise an eyebrow. "Rick is going to kill me when he comes downstairs, isn't he?"

"Nah. Not permanently, anyway."

"Just checking."

* * *

**End Note**: Not worth the lateness, I know. I'm sorry. But hey, if you liked it, say so, and maybe I'll be motivated to finish this baby all the faster! Or not. But probably it will.


	5. Chapter 5: Overboard

**Note: **As I am always promising to finish what I start, and this only had one more chapter to go, I decided to plunge into this at January's end…then February…and now it's March. Except now, as I'm posting, it's **July**. :O Er, my bad. It's been a fun ride, and I want to thank **Jean Cooper** once again for convincing over half the fandom of this pairing's cuteness. Because…it's adorable! xD

Out of the Blue

Part Five: Overboard (With Chick Flick Cliches to Spare)

The first thing Kai did when he read Mary's novel was declare her an idiot, because a genius like her should not resort to cowing away from a goofball like himself. He'd laughed at her jokes, failed to hide a smile at her romance, and promptly shouted at her when she left him with a cliffhanger on her final chapter. "How can you do that to people?!" he accused. "They go through all the trouble to read your book, fall in love with the characters, and then you go and leave them _hanging_? You're cruel, baby."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Mary giggled. "Authors just need a little research sometimes…when it comes to experiences they haven't had themselves." Confidentially, she bent her head down close to his, and whispered, "See, I've never been to Paris. So I can't describe anything without feeling like an uneducated imbecile."

"Really?" Kai raised his eyebrows and grinned. "It just so happens, actually, that I have been to that particular city."

"Have you?"

"Oui, mademoiselle. What do you want to know?"

This time spent between them, Kai decided, came second only to spending time at the beach. There was no way to describe the swell of pride he felt as he rattled off all his adventures in other cities, other oceans, other time zones. Had he ever shared so much with anyone—even Popuri? And had Popuri listened if he had?

Popuri. _Ah_. The other day, Kai would have sworn he was hallucinating if he saw his ex walking hand-in-hand with Gray down the street, smiling. Except he did see that, today. They weren't walking, though; they were _running_. It looked like Rick had been behind them shouting something—and what this something was Kai didn't really care to know, but it sounded like Gray was in for some awkward form of punishment that was illegal in all fifty states of America.

At any rate, things were as peaceful as they could possibly be in Mineral Town, and Kai decided to enjoy it. The fact that the calendar didn't choose to slow down, however, nagged at him.

Endlessly.

"I've hit a dead end, my wanderer," Mary announced as Kai entered her little library. Her tired bleary eyes looked up at him and she sighed. "I don't think I can write this next section without straying into cliché territory."

"And clichés are bad because…?"

"Because they're _trite_, Kai!"

"Oh, trite. Yeah. Totally can't be trite." The cook frowned and sat beside her. "Trite is, uh, a bad thing, right?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "The dictionary is to your left, should you choose to use it."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass on that." He looked over her shoulder to gaze upon the sea of words before her—smudged in ink, yet beautiful beyond expression. Okay, so maybe Kai couldn't appreciate many books. He admitted that. Yet Mary's work came from the heart; he could tell just by how much tender care was placed on each and every syllable. Okay, and he was biased. So what? "So, it's a romance scene?" he surmised from his viewing.

Mary nodded, still frowning. "Mhm. Kissing, forgiveness, and then an end. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Well, I haven't decided yet. I can't seem to make them embrace. It's really not working for me, Kai, and I haven't the foggiest idea why."

He grinned. "Huh. You know what I think, Miss Librarian?" His arms wrapped about her as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "You need some _hands-on_ research."

"I'm too tired for this, Kai," she dismissed him with a gentle swat of her book. "Do it some other time, when I'm not working."

"But this _is_ work."

"It isn't. This is play."

"Well, who says we can't have both?"

He worked himself from her cheek to her lips, and Mary groaned a bit but found it hard to resist kissing him a little back in response. He tasted warm and salty on her tongue, exotic and new. Then, just as suddenly, she pulled away and smacked him with the book again. "There. We've played. Now back to work."

"But it was just getting fun…"

"_Focus_, Kai."

Well, there would be no schmoozing with Mary today; she'd gotten into Writer Mode, and Kai had learned better than to interfere with that those past few days. However, he'd also learned how to brew a mean pot of coffee to keep her up writing, and he'd also learned more grammar than he'd ever cared to understand in school. Of course, Mary had learned a bit from him, too, he liked to think. Swimming in the ocean. How to share her stories without losing confidence. The ancient art of book wielding against obnoxious travelers. You know, important stuff.

Yet neither had learned how to deal with that one important word: good-bye.

"So what are you going to do at the end of the season?"

Kai blinked at Gray's frank question and fumbled a bit with his words. "Uh, what do you mean? Are you trying to ask if I'm staying?"

"No, Kai," the blacksmith retorted. "I mean, what are you going to tell Mary?"

"Mary. Ah." He cleared his throat. "Haven't decided that yet."

"…You heartless little bastard," Gray accused. "You mean you're just going to leave her here and say good-bye at the last minute? What are you, the _Runaway Bride_?"

"First of all, I have no intention of being a heartless little bastard, and secondly, since _when_ did you watch Julia Roberts' movies?"

Gray shrugged. "Popuri tends to bring out my sensitive side. Chick flicks aren't half-bad, you know."

"This coming from the guy who thought cologne and bowties brought down a man's pride…" Kai shook his head. "Man, Gray, your man points just went down by like twenty."

"Shut up. At least I'm not playing some stupid game of pretend with myself—what the hell do you think is going to happen, Kai? By some incredible stroke of fate, Mary will be okay with this? Or, better still, she'll run off with you into the sunset after dating you for only a season—not even?"

Kai bit his lip. "Alright, I admit it. I haven't decided what's going on between us yet."

"Honestly, Kai, it's not totally your decision. Be straight up with Mary; believe it or not, she's a strong girl. This affects her just as much as you. So talk."

"Who died and made you Doctor Phil?"

"_Talk_," Gray repeated, and with that, the blacksmith left.

It was a sad, sad day when Gray knew more about love than Kai the traveler did. He began with some self-pitying moping, followed by some mindless pacing, ridiculous schemes, and finally the realization that, darn it, the blacksmith was right. He had to talk with Mary. But what would he say?

"You're incredibly tense today," the librarian commented as he flipped through a book mindlessly. "Bad day at the Snack Shack?"

"No, not really. Business is going great." He smiled awkwardly. "How about you?"

"Well," Mary replied with a grin, "I am getting a certain regular customer, and I think he likes how I run things."

"Really?"

"Really," she answered and scooted closer to him to lay her head on his shoulder. It smelled sweet, Kai noted with a sigh, and it felt soft, and he could feel her breath upon his neck, and for the love of all that was good and pure in this world, _why_ did he have to break this beautiful girl's heart?

"I can't take this anymore," he announced finally, standing up. Mary gave him a puzzled look and Kai paced the room, sweating. "I can't handle this, Mary—you're being so nice. _Too_ nice. You…you need to stop being nice."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "I do?"

"Yes! You do!" Kai snapped back. "Because when guys like me say mean things to girls like you, it just makes us that much worse!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Mary asked, amused. "What's gotten into you?"

"_Autumn_! Freakin' autumn! That's what."

For a single, stunned moment the librarian gaped at him. The book in her hands fell to her lap, and her lips parted to release no sound. She blinked. "Y-you're leaving, Kai?"

"Well, that was the plan." Suddenly eye contact hurt too much to bear and Kai found himself saying to the wall, "What am I supposed to do, Mary? I'm a traveler. Traveling is what I do."

"But I thought—"

"What? You thought what?" Kai laughed. "Being in love works like an anchor or something? Falling for a cute librarian turns a roaming fool into a respectable gentleman? God, Mary. I thought you'd at least considered what happens when summer ends." The wall didn't lose a beautiful smile when he said those words; the wall didn't break into tiny, hurt pieces of perplexity.

"I—I see." A sniffle. "Of course. I've just, uh, been reading too many happily ever afters, haven't I?"

But the wall couldn't comfort a crying girl, and Kai found himself dropping his harsh persona to become the genuine, worried, literate boyfriend he'd become in just a few weeks. Why, oh God, did it have to be at this cost?

* * *

Manna was spreading rumors again, and Mary had decided to let them be this time. "Is it true that Kai's breaking up with you?" her mother had insisted, but the librarian had quietly continued her ordinary day without so much as a shrug. "Is he abandoning you like he did to poor Popuri?"

"Popuri is perfectly happy," was all Mary replied.

"And you could have been, too, if you'd just fallen for a boy in town," she caught her father mumbling. This, too, she ignored. What good would more crying do? What was decided was decided. Mary could write him, couldn't she? Mail him chapters. Sit out on festivals. Surprise him with care packages.

Wait. Wait and wait and wait.

"Is there anything more boring than waiting for something?"

Popuri looked up from her chickens to see a forlorn little librarian standing there, arms wrapped about herself tightly. The poultry farmer smiled. "Ah, you're experiencing pre-Kai-Departure syndrome. Or, as I fondly call it, PKDS."

"I don't suppose you know a cure?" Mary muttered glumly.

"For PKDS?" Popuri tapped her chin in thought. "Well, at the time, seeing Kai helped a lot. And working—working is good, too."

"Not when your career is reading and writing romances that _don't_ end with the boy running off and leaving the girl all alone and sad and miserable and—oh, Popuri, it's so _unfair_," she trailed off bitterly. "Why did I do this to myself? Why?"

The poultry farmer patted her on the head in understanding. "There, there. You know what you need? Chocolate."

"Chocolate is not going to keep my boyfriend in town—"

"You need chocolate," she stated, stronger this time. Popuri, good as her word, brought the little brunette inside and directed her to her super-secret-stash of chocolate cookies and fudge, which at first Mary was hesitant to touch. But under Popuri's direction, she found herself nibbling…then biting…then scarfing down the whole batch without a second thought. "Feel better?"

"A bit," the librarian admitted.

"You know, there was this study done? And apparently, eating chocolate makes you feel as good as if you were, you know, kissing a guy." Popuri winked. "And desserts don't bail on you when you need them."

Despite herself, Mary realized she was hunting for crumbs on her plate, and blushed.

"To be serious, though," Popuri started, "why are you mad at Kai, exactly? Didn't you know that he was gonna leave?"

Mary rolled her eyes. "Well, I considered it, certainly. I just didn't think he'd…I mean…"

"You thought you could change him?" Popuri finished.

A meek, ashamed nod.

"Oh, Mary, you're so _cute_ when you get like this, you know that?" The pink-haired girl giggled, then shook her head. "But that's what you'd do in a novel, not in real life. I mean, if I date Gray—which, oh wait, I do!—I don't expect him to stop blacksmithing, right?"

"Right…"

"And Karen doesn't expect Rick to stop caring for chickens," Popuri continued, "just because he smells like animal poo, right?"

Mary sat up straighter. "Right."

"And Cliff doesn't expect Ann to stop cleaning up the Inn every five minutes just because he'd rather be spending quality time with her instead of a broom, right, Mary?"

"Right!" she exclaimed. "Oh, it sounds so much simpler now—you're saying I shouldn't expect Kai to stop being Kai just because I love him, right?"

"Absolutely!" Popuri chirped. "Just like he doesn't expect you to stop writing and librarian…ing."

"So I need to tell him everything's okay!" Mary's heart fluttered a bit in her chest at that thought. Oh, how selfish she'd been over the whole thing; of course it'd be hard, certainly, but writing letters wasn't too different than writing stories, was it? And love wasn't entirely physical, even though she'd miss the kisses, and the hugs, and the whisperings in her ear, and the long, long talks into the night…

Suddenly Mary wanted more chocolate.

* * *

_If I could write you_

_A thousand words on paper_

'_I love you' would do._

Kai didn't know what to call the paper on his door anything except a completely, totally, absolutely beautiful jumble of words. It had been Gray who'd called him a moron for not recognizing a haiku, and told him, "You're a lucky purple man," at Mary's sending of it. So he'd returned her apology with one of his own: a pineapple tied up in a bow.

Gray had called him a fruity idiot for that. Kai had ignored him.

And with a shy meeting, they'd reconciled over ordinary conversations, kisses, and hugs. Both found themselves determined: _I will not let time cheat us. I will not, I will not. _Kai talked of Paris; Mary spoke of stories. Kai cooked dishes; Mary waxed poetry. They swam in the ocean; they had picnics in the moonlight; they joked about _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea_.

Together, they wasted time, until they had none left.

"It's not going to be too hard on you, is it, sweetie?" Anna asked her daughter. Mary had buttoned up her new blouse and brushed her hair till it shone, yet all the same something sad sparkled in those eyes, and Anna could see it all too well. "He'll come back."

"I know." Mary bit her lip and smiled. "And we'll…we'll write, of course."

"Yes. You're rather good at that, too." She watched her daughter fidget with her hands and glance side-to-side, as if unsure of where to step next. She watched her fight down the sadness that had engulfed her before, and she watched her try to rationalize over this hurt in her mind: _I will see him again; this is his life, and I have to accept it doesn't stop just because I'm in it. _Anna found herself fidgeting as well. "Mary, darling?"

"Yes, Mother?"

"I don't think I've…ever told you about how I met your father, have I?"

_Of course you have_, Mary almost said, before the truth struck her: no, she hadn't. Basil marrying Anna seemed as understood as the fact that the sky was blue; it hadn't ever occurred to Mary, really, that her parents had shared a real romance of any kind, though of course they had.

"I was about your age," Anna continued. Her hand began to play with her short silky locks, identical to the ones woven in Mary's braid. "He only stayed for a couple seasons in my hometown…said he studied plant-life. Fascinating, really. How many men know how to grow their own roses, besides your father, Mary?" She chuckled to herself. "I fell head-over-heels. He courted me with an ease that not a single man I'd been courted by before had possessed. And then, as winter approached, he told me…that he was leaving."

"Just like Kai," Mary breathed.

"Just like," Anna agreed.

"So…what happened?" the daughter prodded. "I mean, you've been married, so…?"

"Frankly? I ran away with him."

Anna—practical, doting, matchmaking Anna—had run off in her youth to _marry_. Mary didn't know what to do first; ask questions burning in her throat or close her hanging mouth. "H-how could you _do_ that?" she sputtered. "Didn't your parents—?"

"They knew I loved him."

"But surely your job—?"

"I had no use for it, not really. Besides, my favorite hobby could exist wherever I lived—cooking." Anna smiled. "Perhaps that's why I liked this Kai of yours initially. We chefs are cut from the same cloth, you know."

Mary leaned forward, mulling over this new knowledge. Running off with Kai. Well. It seemed a bit extreme, didn't it? What about her library, her parents, her friends? She'd never known anything outside of Mineral Town. What on earth would be worth leaving her home for?

_You could see Paris_.

That's what photos and books were for.

_You could meet new friends._

Pen-pals could do nicely.

_You'd be with Kai._

"Do whatever you feel in your heart is right," Anna told her, standing up. "We'll be leaving in an hour to tell Kai good-bye, so think about it until then, okay, dearest?"

"Okay, Mother," she murmured softly. But in reality, she wanted to ask her mother one little question:

Was it entirely necessary to dump this on her within an _hour's_ notice?

* * *

"So you're doing it."

Kai didn't look up from his bags at Gray's comment, and simply shrugged. "Yes, I'm leaving. Don't sound so shocked."

"Shocked? No, not that," the blacksmith disagreed. "Just disappointed."

At that the traveler paused in stuffing his boxers in the suitcase and smiled broadly at his companion. "Gray, you're going to miss me? Aw, you big sentimental hammer-holding lug—"

"No man-hugs, I draw the line at man-hugs," he protested as Kai opened his arms wide. "And by the way, while I just _might_ miss you, that wasn't what I meant."

"Oh?"

"You're leaving Mary anyway?"

"_Oh_."

"So that's a yes."

"That's an 'oh.' Totally different letters used."

"I dunno, man," Gray sighed. "I guess, I just sort of was expecting…"

"What?"

"Kai, don't you have a brain?" he said finally.

The cook blinked. "Yes…?"

"Then you should know that if Nora Ephron was writing this, you'd be discovering you prefer being with the love of your life over traveling over a cold dead unfeeling world, and you following this would run a beautiful little shop by the sea and have adorable bandana-ed and bespectacled children and complete the sickeningly adorable happy ending!"

Kai dropped the boxers to the floor. "What the hell has Popuri and her chick flicks done to you, man?"

"Weigh it in your mind," Gray urged. "Being with Mary, or being seasick on a boat?"

_You could have a home._

That's what boats and hostels were for.

_You could have permanent friends._

Foreigners could do nicely.

_You'd be with Mary._

"Look, I've just seen _Sleepless in Seattle_ and _You've Got Mail_ one too many times lately, but think about it. Do what you feel is right, Kai." The clock sang out, and Gray patted his roommate on the back. "And the boat is ready for ya. Think fast."

"…I hate you and your sage advice."

Gray smirked. "Well, what are friends for?"

* * *

It had taken all of an hour for Mary to pack all her belongings into one simple suitcase. Wearing the same dress everyday had its benefits, and besides, it had been mostly her papers and books that had needed the space. Her mom and dad had kissed her and hugged her until she felt her entire body squished with affectionate goodbyes. "We'll miss you, dearest," Anna had sighed. "Write often and give me beautiful grandchildren!"

"Assuming Kai agrees to being husband first," Basil had added warningly.

And Popuri had squealed when Mary had shared her scheme and gone off on some tangent about how Nora Ephron would be oh-so-proud and that they absolutely had to run off together, that it'd be the most romantic thing in the history of ever and that she'd be so jealous and so happy and—about here Mary tuned her out because she was impatiently waiting for Kai on the boat.

"Ever actually left the time, missy?" Zack questioned, and the librarian blushed while shaking her head shyly no. "Well then you're in for a treat!"

"When's Kai getting here?" she mumbled, and the sailor shrugged.

"Any second now, I believe. He'd better hurry, though, or else we'll be leaving without him."

"Wh-what?!"

"Why so stunned? I've got a schedule to keep. 'Sides, he'll be here on time. He always is."

* * *

"Mary will be here. She always is."

Kai was in fact pacing the library door. For some reason it struck him that Mary would expect to walk with him to the dock, and in his mind it seemed much more overwhelmingly romantic to sweep her off her feet at the door and tell her he was willing to stay.

Except the door was locked. Dang it.

"Mister, are you alright?"

"I'm waiting for the library to open," he told the intruder who had stumbled by: a little boy with a bowl-cut that he was pretty sure was named Stu. Or Sue? Stuey Suey?

"Oh." The boy glanced at the door then back at the purple man. "You have a funny hat."

"You have a funny face."

Stu frowned. "You're mean."

Okay, Mary did not usually arrive this late. What if she was at the dock after all—? Well, she wouldn't be going anywhere, and he could wait at the door for her return anyway. Gray had told him of cliché romantic goodness, and darn it, he was going to be the gooiest cliché he could muster.

Meanwhile, this kid really, _really_ ought to leave him be.

"So why ain'tcha at the dock?"

"Because I'm waiting for Miss Mary," he replied slowly with just a touch of irritation.

"Huh. Isn't she at the dock though?"

"Most likely."

"So…why not go there, Mister?"

"Because Nora Ephron would say no."

"Who?"

"Romantic comedy screenplay writer. Look you, beat it, you're not part of my Prince Charming plan. I have to wait for Mary to come back and then act all romantic."

"Well that might be difficult, Mister."

"Why?"

"Cause Mary's going on that boat. And it's leaving…um…right about now!"

If he weren't running for his life, Kai might have stopped long enough to beat Gray and his stupid love advice into the ground.

* * *

"We're moving. Why…are…we…moving?"

Mary clung to her side of the boat in terror as it lurched, and Zack shrugged again, looking to the sky. "For some reason Kai ain't coming it seems. Oh well, a schedule is a schedule, and I have got to deliver these crops before they expire."

"But—but—"

Mary covered her mouth and found herself hyperventilating; oh no, this wasn't part of the plan, not at all, and oh Goddess they were already away from the dock. Oh, no. Oh, no. Nothing had prepared her for the possibility of leaving alone for an unknown city. Oh, she just might be sick…

"Mary! Stop the boat! Zack, stop the boat stop the boat stop the boat!"

And then the librarian looked up from where she was doubled over the railing, and there he was, panting as if he'd run all the way around the world and back and eyes wide and frantic. "Kai?" she exclaimed.

"Mary! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm riding off into the sunset with you!" she screamed back from the boat.

"How are you going to do that exactly if I'm not in the boat?"

"Well _obviously_ it'd have helped if you'd come faster!"

To their absolute disbelief, both of them were laughing even as the boat continued onward. "I wasn't going to leave, you silly girl."

"What?!"

"I was going to stay here with you!" he continued, roaring over the wind. "I didn't want to leave you behind!"

"Don't be an imbecile: you're a _traveler_, and you are going to travel," she retorted.

"Not if I can't be with you I won't."

"Well luckily I happen to be on a boat!"

"And you're only getting farther and farther away," Kai complained. Then, with a devilish glint in his eyes, he tore off his shirt and dove headfirst into the sea. Some of the ladies onshore gasped (Karen and Ann cheered) and Mary felt her heart leap into her throat as he paddled harder and harder against the current.

"Kai, you can't possible catch up that way!"

"Watch…me…try," he gasped back.

Mary flailed a bit on the deck for a bit before yelling at Zack to slow down and getting the same "I can't, the wind decides that," from him each time.

"Well, we certainly can't let him drown!" Mary sputtered. "Um, uh…here, take this!" Her hands tangled on a life preserver and she tossed it into the sea, only to lose her footing and fall right along with it.

"Oh my God, Mary!" Kai screamed as she fell with a splash.

"K-Kai.." She spat out water and laughed. "I'm okay! Here, get the life preserver with me."

"Mary!"

"Kai!"

" '_Arturo, Arturo_!' '_Caterina, Caterina_!' " Popuri sighed. "Oh my God, Kai is Goldie Hawn with abs."

"So Mary…is Kurt Russell?" Gray commented.

"I knew you'd start speaking chick flick eventually!" she cheered, and kissed him full on the mouth.

"You are the silliest girl I have ever met," Kai laughed, and Mary averted his gaze from behind her soaked spectacles. "Hey, you. Thank you." He wiped the bangs from her eyes and smiled. "This is the most anyone has ever offered to do for me."

"I can't believe you'd have stayed for me," she blubbered.

"I guess we're both just crazy, huh?"

"Guess so."

A mischievous smile tugged at his lips, and Kai leaned over his side of the life preserver to whisper, "I would be honored to travel the world with a girl like you."

"Are you sure?"

"More sure than anything I've ever been sure about in my life. But are _you_ sure?"

"Mm." Mary gazed up at the sky above them, at the ship trying desperately to circle back towards them, at the people cheering from the shore who looked like little ants all the way from their corner of the sea. "I think it'd be an awfully wonderful adventure."

"Would it?"

"And…perhaps just the right kind of happily ever after."

* * *

"So what happened next?! What happened, c'mon, tell us pleeeeease."

"Oh, but that's the whole story."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Don't talk back to Mary now," Kai admonished the kids with a laugh. "You should be able to figure out the rest on your own."

"Well I have a question," one little girl demanded, sitting patiently in the library. "Why does this story mention my daddy more than Lily's daddy?"

"Because Lily's daddy is a blacksmith and not a dashingly handsome young traveler like myself—"

"Ooh, I'ma tell him you said thaaaaat!"

"Good work, Kai," Mary giggled. "I'll tell Popuri to hide his hammer again, okay? At any rate," she announced, stretching, "it's time for these little ones to go to sleep."

The little boy and girl pouted, and Kai pouted too. "But we want to hear more!"

"Now, now, begging isn't polite."

"But, but—"

"No buts. Goodnight."

They were shepherded out the door with little sighs, and Mary clicked the lock on the library door with a practice that hadn't rusted with disuse. "So I suppose I'm getting sent to bed, too, eh?" Kai inquired, grinning.

"But see, you'd _like_ that."

"So?" he replied, curling his arm about her.

"So what kind of punishment would that be?"

"The very, very best kind."

Their heads bent down close together, and just as their lips began to meet the door flew open and two figures paused in the doorway. "Oh, crap, I forgot they were back in town," Gray muttered. "Where else are we going to find a dark abandoned place?"

"Oh, if they're here, no one's at the Snack Shack!" Popuri exclaimed. "Later, you two."

"Ah, and one more thing, Kai," Gray added, frowning. "Your hooligans told me you lied again."

"_Lied_ is a mean word…"

"Don't forget who holds the hammer here."

"Anyway, night," Popuri giggled, pulling her husband away. "See you later."

The door closed, and Kai offered himself a smug little grin. "Now, where were we…?"

"Somewhere between a cliché and a happily ever after."

"Well, I have no problem with that at all. Absolutely none."

"Funny, I don't either."

"Well then," Kai murmured, kissing her so that she blushed, "I guess here's where the story ends."

Neither of them had any idea that adorable Things 1 and 2 had discovered, at that very moment, that a blender and a story chapter made marvelous music together.

But then again, no story is perfect.

* * *

The End

* * *

**End Note: **Hahaha, okay, okay, I had too much fun, I'm sorry. It's corny and cliché and absolutely addictive to write, and I'm glad I got to wrap it up like that. Also, kudos to anyone who names the movie Popuri referenced with Goldie Hawn. Also, sorry for the overload of chick flick references. I couldn't help it, I couldn't, it called to me. xD

Thanks again to **Jean Cooper** for inspiring me, and thanks to all readers who bore with my ridiculous late-coming updates. Love you all. :)

--Scarlet

PS: Man I am on a roll with finishing stuff. Feels amazing. :D


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